Davis EyeCare Associates
EyeCare Update
A Quarterly bulletin on new developments in the field of eyecare from Davis EyeCare —Your EyeCare Specialists
With innovative technology, excellent service and
a caring team, we at
Davis EyeCare have a responsibility to make our
patients aware of what
total eye health really
means. We do this with
great pride and commitment
Special points of interest:
DAVISEYECARE.COM
Visit us at our new website.
You can now make an appointment,
order your contact lenses and solutions, find out information about
important new developments in
eyecare and general knowledge
about your eye health.
On Call 24 Hours
Phone 708-636-0600
Cell: 708-935-7375
Spring 2003 Vol. 9 No. 2
New Contact Lens Makes Glasses Obsolete
Monica Guterez has an
unusual contact lens
wearing schedule. She
puts them in before going
to bed and takes them out
when she wakes up.
The lenses, described as
an alternate to LASIK
surgery, gently reshape
Monica’s cornea while she
sleeps, allowing her to see
clearly during the day.
Wearing contacts during
the day can be a hassle.
The lenses pop out, need
adjusting or can make the
eyes itch. Contacts can be
hard to wear in dry, dusty
or smoky environments or
while swimming.
many cases of astigmatism. who do not like wearing
glasses or contacts during
Nearsightedness is caused the day but leery of the
by a steepening of the cor- LASIK surgical procedure.
nea, the transparent tissue The LASIK patients often
in front of the colored part complain of halos at night
of the eye. In the LASIK
and dry eyes and someprocedure, a doctor uses a
times require a follow-up
laser and
secondary procesurgical
dure. Laser surknife to flatgery did not
ten the corseem like an opnea.
tion for me said
Rod Hurst of
These speChicago. It is so
cial depermanent.
signed conHurst
said
his vision is bettact lenses apply a slight
ter
than
20/20.”It’s
a mirapressure to the center of
cle,
I
can
see
without
anythe eye, flattening the corthing
in
my
eyes.
nea and bringing the eye
into focus. The lens must be
worn nightly, or the cornea
will revert to its original
shape and the nearsightedness will return. Many
times some patients can get
away with wearing the
lenses every second or third
night. The lenses are made
out of an extended wear
material. The material is
gas permeable meaning it
The corneal reshaping
allows oxygen to reach the
lenses can correct for all
eye during sleep. The night
but the most severe near- lenses will appeal to people
sightedness as well as
In a FDA study of 205 users, 4 percent dropped out
because the lenses were
uncomfortable. The study
found that 67% of the patients had 20/20 vision or
better and 95% had vision
20/40 or better.
In an emergency situation don't
panic, just pick-up the phone and
call someone you can trust. Treatment of all types of ocular infections, removal of foreign bodies
from the eye, such as wood or metal,
treatment of allergies or dry eye,
patient advocate for laser vision
consultation and in a pinch contact
lens and eye glass replacements.
Davis EyeCare is now proud to have
at its disposal the most sophisticated
instrumentation for glaucoma diagnosis and treatment. Don’t worry,
call the EyeCare Specialist— Davis
EyeCare
Dawn says contacts are
easier to wear at night.
“When my eyes are closed,
I hardly notice them” said
Dawn who lives in Plainfield. Another advantage:
If she gets up during the
night to look after the
children, I don’t have to
put on my glasses to see.
Loaner Lenses Available
HydroEye: Relief from Dry Eye Discomfort
Professional contact lens care could
make the difference! SO if you are
without your lenses in the event of a
loss or damage, we can supply an
immediate replacement lens for
uninterrupted lens wear. Eyeglasses
can also be replaced immediately. If
you are in need of an immediate
contact lens or eyeglass replacement
visit our office or our web site at
daviseyecare.com.
Millions of Americans suffer
from some form of dry eye.
The key to relieving irritated dry eyes is to maintain a healthy tear film that
protects and lubricates your
eyes. It is estimated that 1
out of 5 suffer from discomfort associated with dry
eye.HydroEye contains a
balanced mixture of essen-
tial fatty acids, plus the
vitamins, minerals and
essential cofactors necessary to regulate tear production.
HydroEye works from inside out by delivering key
nutrients that support
proper tear secretions and
healthy tear film. Results
If your interested in wearing these new contacts that
will make your glasses obsolete call Davis Eyecare
for an appointment. Ask for
the corneal reshaping lens.
are experienced within 30
-60 days although many
begin to experience relief
within the first few
weeks. If you experience
scratchy, gritty, burning,
excessive watering, redness ask Davis EyeCare
about HydroEye Vitamins. Feel the difference.
PAGE 2
EYECARE UPDATE
ISSUE 1
Unsung Heroes: eye clinic receptionists
Doctors, opticians, and technicians
may play the leading roles in the
theater of vision care, but at Davis
EyeCare the show would not go on
without the receptionists.
“Ringing phones to be answered, patients appointments to be scheduled,
arriving patients to be
greeted and checked in,
charts and bills to be
processed and countless
questions to be answered– that’s all
part of a days work for us,” says lead
receptionist Kim Johnson. Kim is
one of four receptionists at Davis
EyeCare where adults and pediatric
patients come for routine eye exams,
as well as for specialized care for
conditions such as glaucoma, macular degeneration, retinal detachment, diabetic retinopathy, cataracts
and lazy eye.
According to our clinic manager Lin
Rose, the receptionists greet and
check in about 150 patients a day
as well as answer about 225 telephone calls. "they
are the first contact
a patient has with
our clinic”. “They
are like a public relations department
and are critically
important in facilitating patient visits.” Dr. Harold Davis agrees, “I
think of our receptionists as goodwill ambassadors for me and my
colleagues.”
ing than people in their 20’s. Foreign language patients can provide
special challenges notes optician
Patricia. You really feel satisfied
when you have been able to lead
them through the process of filling
their prescription. It is also challenging to be on the phone helping
a hearing impaired person with
people standing in line waiting to
be helped Jean continues. Other
patients sometimes get impatient
or don’t understand why you are
taking so long.
Despite all the challenges of their
positions, the receptionists say they
seldom feel unappreciated. “The
Simplifying the experience for padoctors respect us and let us know
tients can pose some challenges
they are thankful we are here”, Kim
when you have patients who don’t
says. It is difficult to say enough
really understand the system says about the important role our recepBeth. They sometimes require more tionist play in the overall process of
patience in explaining and clarify- patients getting healed.
Stop your Frustration: Disposable Bifocal Contact Lens
Most people don't know that contact lenses can
be bifocal, trifocal, or even progressive. But it's
true: new multifocal contacts are being designed each year for people with presbyopia, a
natural condition brought on by age, where the
eye's natural ability to focus on close objects is
lost. Eventually everyone
after the age of forty needs
a reading prescription.
Where people differ is how
they deal with it. Some use
reading glasses or bifocals.
Others choose progressive
eyeglass lenses, which
correct near, intermediate, and far vision but
without the unsightly lines of traditional bifo-
cals. Still others opt for bifocal contact lenses.
Reading glasses are inconvenient.
One of the most common complaints among presbyopes is having
to put on and take off their reading
glasses all day long. Reading
glasses must be carried everywhere. And they are often
misplaced or forgotten, forcing some people to buy several pairs for different areas of their home
and workplace.
Readers and bifocals are unattractive.
They hide the eyes from the world and
emphasize age.
Today Bifocal Disposable Contact Lenses are
changing. A single word describes why Carol
loves her bifocal contact lenses: freedom. "I can go anywhere, do anything,
and don't have to be always looking for
my glasses, whether around my house, at
the office, or out shopping," says Carol, a
manager at a Chicago stock brokerage. "I
put my lenses in the first thing in the
morning and only take them out right
before the lights go out at night," she
says. She never wore contact lenses before getting her disposable bifocals. Next time your at
Davis EyeCare ask one of our Doctors about the
new disposable monthly soft bifocal lenses that
will give the freedom as well as the comfort of
not wearing anything at all.
Corneal Thickness adds breakthrough knowledge in Glaucoma
A new risk factor for glaucoma that is changing the way doctors evaluate a patient's chances
of developing this eye disease has been discovered. It's called central corneal thickness.
Among patients with elevated eye pressure - the
main characteristic of the disease - those with
thinner central corneal thickness measurements
were found to have a higher risk of developing
glaucoma.
Measuring central corneal thickness is a simple
test done with an ultrasound machine. It's
painless and brief, and the test is providing new
clues to those who are at greatest risk for glau-
coma and might benefit from early treatment of
elevated eye pressure.
Glaucoma is actually a group of diseases that
can lead to damage of the eye's optic nerve and
loss of vision. Most of the diseases are characterized by increased fluid pressure in the eye.
Glaucoma can affect anyone at any age. If detected early and treated, the condition can usually be controlled and sight preserved.
The disease is often called "the sneak thief of
sight”, because if it is not caught early and
treated effectively, it can lead to blindness. Well
-known risk factors for developing glaucoma
include age, African descent, a family history of
the disease and elevated eye pressure. Last year,
a major government-funded study looked at a
large group of patients with elevated intraocular
eye pressure, but without signs of glaucoma
such as nerve damage or loss of peripheral vision. Half of the patients were observed but not
treated for the elevated pressure, and half were
treated to lower their pressure. This study confirmed that Early glaucoma treatment with prescription eye drops used on the patients with
elevated eye pressure, but no signs of glaucoma
damage, was effective in delaying or even preventing the onset of the disease.
ISSUE 1
EYECARE UPDATE
PAGE 3
Glaucoma and Retinal disease
Nerve Fiber Analysis
Glaucoma is one of the leading causes
of preventable blindness in the
United States. This year approximately 67 million people worldwide
will suffer from this disease. About 2
million Americans have glaucoma but
about half are unaware that they
have the disease. Others will be diagnosed only when it is too late to save
vision. Currently 800,000 Americans
are legally blind from glaucoma.
The disease is indicated by the deterioration and destruction of the retinal
nerve fiber layer, which now can be
detected earliest with a scanning laser imaging. This new
technique is
known as
Nerve Fiber
Analysis. It is
made possible
Individuals at highest risk are those by a new device
who are diabetic, nearsighted, or
that measures
have a history of eye injury or previ- the nerve fiber
ous eye surgery, those with a family
layers thickness, thereby assessing the
history of glaucoma, and for unknown level of optic nerve damage. Nerve Fireasons, African and Mexican Ameri- ber Analysis is a non-invasive, comcans.
pletely painless procedure.
Nerve Fiber Analysis offers significant advantages over eye pressure
measurements, which misses glaucoma approximately half of
the cases, and the visual fields
test is only effective at the
later stages of glaucoma, at
which time considerable loss of
nerve fiber and vision may
have occurred.
These tests are approved for
Medicare reimbursement and
by many insurance plans.
Call Kim at Davis Eyecare for an appointment for a scanning laser image.
The nerve fiber analyzer is just another investment Davis EyeCare has
made to care for your eyes.
Ocular Allergies: Finally there is Relief
Allergies are one of the most common
diseases experienced by Americans. In
fact, as many as 85 million people in the
U.S. suffer from allergies. Airborne allergens and other particles can land directly
on the surface of the eye, causing irritation and redness. Although tears constantly wash the eyes, they can't always
keep out allergens like pollen or pet dander.
Those who have ocular allergies know
that they are a major source of discomfort. They can contribute to eye dryness
and other eye discomforts such as itchy,
redness, swelling and watery. But beyond
being annoying, ocular allergies may be
very disabling. Allergic
symptoms often interfere
with everyday activities,
such as reading, working
on a computer, driving
and playing sports.
Allergic eye symptoms
may be seasonal, usually
in the late spring or fall
when pollen counts are
the highest. This is com-
Ocular allergy occurs when histamine is
released from mast cells. The symptoms
include burning, itching, watery
discharge that is often white, thick
ropey and is accompanied by nasal
discharge and other allergic symptoms.
Allergies can't be cured, but they
can be alleviated to a large extent.
For itchy allergy eyes, eye drops
work faster than tablets and don't
overmedicate by treating symptoms
you
don't
have. Ask Davis EyeCare about
mon in persons with allergic rhinitis,
asthma, and eczema or hay fever. Up to
PATANOL™, a fast-acting eye drop for
80% of hay fever patients may have aller- itchy eyes that works for 12 hours.
gic eye conditions.
Sunglass Protection for Prescription Wearers
If you're a prescription wearer
there's good news. The eyewear
industry has adapted to your
needs and you can now easily
wear sunglasses and sports eyewear that is precisely matched to
your prescription needs!

Fitovers: A separate
sunglass developed to fit over 90%
of the prescription eyewear made
today.

Rx Adapters: A lens adapter
method developed to snap in behind the bridge and adapt a favorite frame style for prescription
lenses. Inexpensive, fast, easy to
keep using the best of our opticians at Davis EyeCare.

Authentic Rx
Lens: Comes directly
from the frame manufacturer, thereby giving you
all the features of that
manufacturer's specialty
lens with your
custom prescription. Often, the
manufacturer's
logo is etched
onto the lens as a
symbol of authenticity. You can order lenses
mounted in a wide variety of tints,
frames and lens styles directly from
our optical boutique.
Having problems with your vision?
DAVIS EYECARE ASSOCIATES
Davis EyeCare
4663 West 95th Street
Oak Lawn, IL 60453
708-636-0600
www.eyemanage.com
Phone:708-636-0600
Fax: 708-636-0606
Email: daviseyecare.com
Davis EyeCare
Vision is Priceless
Blurry vision causes difficulty driving at night as well as comprehension problems while reading for prolong periods of time. Sometimes
blurry vision can signal other health related problems. Use this check
list to determine if you should have an examination at Davis EyeCare.

Eyes burn or feel strained after short periods of reading or other
close work?

Vision gets blurry when reading?

Letters or words run together or move when reading?

Get double vision when reading?

Often loses place or omit words when reading?

Holds material very close when reading?

Vision seems to come in and out of focus?

Experience flashes of lights or floaters?

Feel pain around the eyes or headaches?

Eyes itch or filled with debri?
If you answer yes to any of these questions and have been experiencing vision problems, you should call Davis EyeCare for an eye health
appointment..
30-Day extended wear like wearing nothing at all
For many myopic consumers,
tempted by laser surgery but
squeamish about the procedure, extended-wear contact lenses seem to
offer the ideal solution. They particularly suited, to busy and active
nearsighted and farsighted patients,
who are tired of wearing spectacles
and unhappy with contact lens cleaning regimes. These patients may
even find the routine of inserting and
removing daily disposable contact
lenses a chore.
For all its convenience, the extended
-wear contact lens has had to overcome a certain amount of bad press.
The first examples of this lens,
launched in the '80s, caused some
user to complain of sore and red
eyes. Since then, however, great
leaps in contact lens technology
have given birth to a new generation
of materials that offer much higher
oxygen transmissibility and whose
performance in clinical tests has
been excellent.
Like all parts of our bodies, the
cornea needs oxygen. When our
eyes are open, even if we are wearing contact lenses, it is easy to obtain a sufficient amount of oxygen,
but when we are asleep, with our
eyelids closed, oxygenation is reduced to only a third.
Until recently sleeping with contact lenses on had
created another barrier to the flow of
oxygen to the eye,
but things have now
changed because
non-stop wear 30day, 24-hour contact lenses are
now available. A recent research
study showed that, for safe use
during sleep, contact lenses must
be able to transmit oxygen to at
least 125 Dk level. While ordinary
contact lenses have a reduced transmission of oxygen of about 25-35
Dk, 30-day lenses have a transmission of 175 Dk. Compared to normal disposable contact lenses, they
enable up to 6 times more oxygen
to reach the eye.
Extended wear contact lenses, for
up to 30 days of continuous wear,
give you undreamed freedom and
convenience. However, these new
30-day extended
wear are
different
from traditional soft
lens contacts because they require more diligence in areas of fit, comfort, education, and compliance. If your interested make an appointment for a
free trial supply of the 30-day extended wear lens at Davis EyeCare.